Category: News

“Cellar Cat”, an indie and alternative rock band from Riga, have released their “quarantine” video – the live music video for the song “Time & Space”/ It was shot and simultaneously recorded at the band members’ homes. Music of “Cellar Cat” is often compared to the likes of “Coldplay” and “The 1975”.

The band tells about the idea for the video: “In the current situation of public emergency in Latvia we couldn’t rehearse of record at the studio, not even mentioning playing gigs. Still, we decided to try and nor get demoralized and use this situation for the best. We thought that we might try doing something more unconventional for us — record a new song at home, while actually filming the process, and then glue the sounds and the videos together. Looks like it was a successful experiment.”

As the band members say, this experience let them have a feeling of unity despite the social distancing.

“Though we managed to pull everything off almost as we envisioned it, we still want to get back to normal life as soon as possible and play this song in front of the audience!” the band’s singer Alex says.

New single is from artist’s upcoming album ‘Lighter’ and is a melancholic electro-pop track from Latvian artist who currently lives and performs in Austria.

„I Can Tell You My Sins“ is the new single from BAIBA’s upcoming album „Lighter“.  It is her one of her first tracks which is more focused on electronic and is pursuing her hunger for good electronic pop music.

“It’s dark, sexy mood of the song expresses the hope and despair of young lovers. Craving to open up to each other, merge into each other’s essence to express their deepest secrets, sins and desires and yet, the song is also sharing the insecurity of young love,” BAIBA explains.

The track is a slow burner – it is supposed to be listened on melancholic and beautiful summer nights, together with lovers and their touch.

You can listen to the new single on Spotify

BAIBA is a young Latvian musician, currently living in Innsbruck, Austria. In 2017 in collaboration with the Austrian producer Christoph Holzknecht (CHRS) she released her debut album ”These Storms”. Since then BAIBA is performing solo, producing herself and moving away from the melancholic singer songwriter corner and embracing more and more the curiosity of electronic pop music.

Her singles ‘Running’, ‘Light Inside’, ‘Touch You Right’ and ‘You Don’t Know Me’ which she released under her full name (Baiba Dekena), had radio airplay all around Europe and were also featured in numerous Canadian and American music blogs. Her single “Waiting” was in a daily rotation in one of the biggest Austrian radio stations “FM4” and mid November she entered the „Official European Independent Music Charts“ on number 19 with the title track of her upcoming album „Lighter“ and stayed in the top 50 until March 2020.

Painting the ever-changing canvas of pop and R&B with her own distinctive palette, ELIZZA is a fresh, emerging talent whose songs are leaving an indelible mark on the contemporary music scene. Her latest single, “Habit”, is out on 12th June 2020.

Based in London and inspired by artists such as Sia, Dua Lipa, The Weekend and Jorja Smith, ELIZZA’s vivid new sound is destined to become the heartbeat of pop music in the 2020s. The stage has already been set for her inevitable rise, thanks to a run of remarkable releases that include ‘Can’t Quit’, Myles Stephenson collaboration ‘Want To Keep’ and her latest track, the summer-ready new single ‘Habit’.

“”Habit” is questioning your commitment to a person and trying to answer these questions – has this relationship turned into a habit or is this still alive and worth holding onto?”

Showcasing the singer’s range and versatility, “Habit” sees ELIZZA stunningly vocalise her romantic uncertainty over a beat that takes cues from reggaeton and dancehall, penning reflective lyrics that explore the dangerous territories where love and addiction collide. Another leap in her progressive musical evolution, this most recent offering points towards a new direction for ELIZZA, as she brings together sounds, rhythms and styles from across the mainstream to produce a radio-ready heater that’s destined for the Top 40.

Speaking about her artistic progression, ELIZZA remarked: “For me, it’s a wow moment every time a song you have been working on, comes to life, gets released, and I hear from people who loved it. It’s so important for me to remember where you started but also always stay hungry for more and keep pushing.”

The ideas behind “Habit” came out of the blue during a journey to a studio session – an artist who overflows with natural creativity, ELIZZA often receives bolts of inspiration from the blue, recording melodies and lyrics as voice notes in her phone before fleshing them out in the studio with talented producers. This creative process has brought to life a series of incredible singles that point towards a long and successful musical career for a musician determined to express her vision to the world.

“This release is very personal, being able to share this is me speaking the truth. This is what I want my music to be about. It can be scary to say what I feel out loud sometimes and that’s how music helps me. Hopefully, it can help others too.”

ELIZZA is dedicated to sharing her experience and emotion with others through the medium music. Her fire, passion and authenticity shines through every note she sings, and is now inspiring a growing international fanbase. She believes that, unlike anything else, music has the power to break boundaries, arouse deep feelings, and spark new ideas. Her intense, heartfelt songs do just that.

“These are songs of lightness, they are perfect for moments when you just want to relax laying in the sand by the sea or on freshly cut grass somewhere in the countryside. When you want to do nothing and allow the time to flow, ” Edvards writes about his EP Songs Of Niceness.

This record contains 6 songs, the ideas of which originated over a long period of time, but acquired a more serious outline this winter and were completed during the pandemic.

“I would like this recording to serve as a kind of portfolio for me as a composer and arranger, but most of all as a producer and recording engineer. This is what a couple of people can do in 2-3 months in a studio in Riga with the most beautiful surroundings. ”

Edvards Broders is a musician, composer and producer who’s currently playing in a band called The Bad Tones and has written the soundtrack for the films Despair, Overturned Moon, etc.

The songs of this EP were created alone, but musicians Toms Valmiers, Kalvis Sležis, Alise Golovacka and Teodors Kerimovs also took part in the recording process. The EP was fully recorded and mixed in Riga, in Red House studio, but mastered by Jasper Ras, De Gheijn Music studio in The Hague, the Netherlands.

On the 21st of March, jazz-funk band “Very Cool People” together with MC’s Edavardi, Ansis and the Latvian soul music diva Kristine Prauliņa are releasing a new album – “Koncertprogramma Pa Apli”.

In Tamsta VCP will perform music from their new album, as well as tracks from their previously released albums “Caution! Contains Words”(2019) & “Heya Some Kind Of Fish!…”(2017). In October 2019, the last time Very Cool People played in Tamsta, the club was packed &  there were 9 musicians on stage at once, but this time there will be 13 musicians on Tamsta’s stage: Edavārdi – MC, vocal;  Ansis – MC, vocal;  Kristīne Prauliņa – vocal;  Elvijs Grafcovs – guitar;  Māris Jēkabsons – tenor sax;  Kristaps Lubovs – bariton sax;  Laura Rozenberga – trombone;  Oskars Ozoliņš – Trumpet;  Māris Vitkus – keyboards;  Andris Kauliņš – keyboards;  Jānis Olekšs – bass; Andris Buiķis – drums & special guest MC – Jama (Lithuania).

“As we are the two last nations from the Baltic Language group we should start to understand each other better & I believe it can be best achieved through music. In this concert you will hear Latvian, Lithuanian, English & most likely some Spanish coming from the stage & the most important unification tool – music! Currently, hip hop in national languages is on its way to conquer Europe. Good examples include the Ukrainian hip hop queen Alyona Alyon and the all-female Icelandic band Reykjavíkurdætur.”, says Elvijs about the upcoming concert.

With a solid backbone in jazz, funk and soul, incorporating influences from surf, klezmer, rock and hip-hop, Very Cool People have been putting jazz & funk back on the dancefloor since 2007. Hailing from Riga, Latvia, the band has lit up clubs and festivals from Estonia to Romania, from Spain to South Korea. Always open to new experiments, Very Cool People have collaborated with plenty of guest artists from a bunch of countries. Even if they are a live band more than anything else, they have six studio albums behind their belt, well-received critically and nominated for awards as well.

The band will present the album in Riga on the 28th of March with a grand concert in Riga’s new hottest concert hall “Hanzas Perons”. A special guest from Lithuania – MC Jama – will join VCP in Riga, so the Latvian audience will get a chance to hear hip-hop in Lithuanian as well. A performance by the scratch master DJ Aspirins will be VCP’s opening act in Riga.

The experienced Latvian music producers Lotars Lodzins, Janis Kalve, and Karlis Indrisonoks (Labo ierakstu studija), in association with English musician and songwriter Ky Ismet, have joined forces under the name YDJ and invited the lead singer of the English supergroup of the 90’s Soul II Soul, Charlotte Kelly, to jointly create a new song, the main theme of which was created by the legendary Latvian trumpeter and arranger Gunars Rozenbergs. This Time It’s For Real is published and released by MicRec.

The talks with the Soul II Soul lead vocalist were short, as Charlotte immediately agreed to cooperate after listening to the prepared demo.

Wessel van Diepen, host of the Global Dance Chart show of the popular Dutch radio station Radio 538, says: “An inspiring song. Very well done, great job!” The famous Swedish DJ and record producer StoneBridge commented after listening to the song: “High-quality composition, well-produced and with a very eye-catching lyric video.”

This Time It’s For Real is a modern house music track with a fresh and trendy vibe. Lyric video was created by Dween Production.

25-year-old Latvian artist Chris Noah, who gracefully combines indie-rock with catchy pop, released a new EP “Distance”. His silky timbre, gripping melodies and relatable lyrics have made him highly popular in his homeland, but now he is ready to conquer the world.

Chris has been surrounded by music from an early age – his father is a musician and mother a singing tutor. One could say his future was set in stone before he could even walk. But when Noah was younger he didn’t care much for music, and focused more on sports. At the age of 17 he re-discovered the guitar.

By the time he was 20, Chris and his brother had recorded his first single “Had It All”, which became an instant hit on the Latvian radios. A year later, his second single “You” won an award from Latvian Authors Society for one of the most played tracks of 2016.

Today, Chris Noah released his new EP “Distance”. It contains four tracks, produced in collaboration with London-based producer Kristofer Harris. According to Chris this album is special: “For the first time, not all the songs are about my own life, I have observed more – my friends and other people surrounding me”, he explains.

“When we had the basic production done for the tracks, Kristofer flew to Riga and we started to record and finalize the songs. I was writing lyrics as we were producing the tracks, and it was the most challenging thing I’ve done in my career so far. We recorded four tracks in 11 days, and I am also really glad that all my bandmates have played on this EP,” Noah adds.

The first single off the new EP, “The Line”, was released on January 17th and got an  impressive radio airplay in Latvia. The song was written together with Noah’s keyboardist Marcis Jukumsons-Jukumnieks, whose partnership Chris greatly appreciates: “Marcis has a completely different approach to creating harmonies than I do. It’s a very creative process when his harmonies meet mine.”

Spring is finally here even though it took a different turn this year, and singer Markus Riva marks the arrival of the season with new music. From April 9, his new single “Vienmēr” (Always) is available on all streaming platforms, the result of a fresh musical collaboration.

“Spring is my favourite season ­– I always feel a huge rush of energy, which gets my creative juices flowing. This year is no exception; on the contrary, there is more time than ever for creative endeavours. As a result, an uplifting spring song in Latvian was born; I hope it will be a source of positivity in these troubled times,” says Markus.

The song “Vienmēr” was created in collaboration with Roberts Pētersons who is also the author of the song and initiated this partnership. Work in the studio wrapped up before state of emergency in Latvia was declared, and both musicians swiftly found a common language and are very happy with the result.

Roberts Pētersons: “When I was writing this song, I quickly realized that Markus Riva would be a perfect fit for it, and I was extremely pleased he agreed to work with me. Markus knows what a good pop song needs – he brought his own ideas to the recording session and truly made the song his own. I am convinced that listeners will enjoy it, and it will be a great addition to Markus’ repertoire in Latvian.”

Just like his colleagues, Markus is currently looking for new ways to be next to his fans during social distancing ­– with virtual conversations and support for those in self-isolation, online gigs, musical surprises in Latvian and Russian, and special streaming playlists. He continues to work on on-going projects, and it is already clear that the song “Vienmēr” won’t remain the only musical collaboration this year.

A new fashion collection by Markus Riva, inspired by car racing, is out too. It is devoted to Markus’ grandfather whose life went hand in hand with this sport ­– the new arrivals are already available online at luckyonestore.com.